One Bread, One Body

FACTS IT TO ME

Jesus "broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to distribute. He divided the two fish among all of them and they ate until they had their fill." —Mark 6:41-42

In the Christmas season, we celebrate the historical event that God became man and was born in Bethlehem. Christmas should not be about fictitious reindeer, snowmen, and other cartoon characters. Christmas is about the Word of God literally becoming flesh (Jn 1:14). Jesus' birth in a stable at Bethlehem is not just a symbol but a fact.

In today's Gospel reading, we read about another fact: the multiplication of the loaves and the fish. This multiplication is not a midrash but a literal miracle. Jesus did not get people to share their supper; He created their supper out of nothing (cf Heb 11:3). The apostles knew that the people in the crowd did not have food (Mk 6:36). The apostles were of the same culture as the crowd. They knew the habits of these people much better than we do. They knew it would take "two hundred days' wages for bread to feed" the crowd (Mk 6:37). Even if the apostles weren't accountants, it was easy for them to count 5,000 men since "the people took their places in hundreds and fifties" (Mk 6:40, 44). Jesus gave the loaves and fish to the apostles to distribute (Mk 6:41). They could see whether the loaves and fish were being created or merely unpacked. The objective interpretation of this Bible passage for almost two thousand years has been that Jesus did a literal, historical, factual miracle by multiplying the loaves and fish (see Catechism, 1335).

In this Christmas season, believe in miracles literally.

Prayer: Father, may I filter my life through Your Word and not vice versa.

Promise: "Love, then, consists in this: not that we have loved God but that He has loved us and has sent His Son as an Offering for our sins." —1 Jn 4:10

Praise: St. John, a missionary to the USA from Bohemia, spread the Faith to Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Rescript: In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Imprimatur ("Permission to Publish") for One Bread, One Body covering the period from December 1, 2015 through January 31, 2016.†Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 26, 2015.

The Imprimatur ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.